Dollar Shave Club Has Built a Brand through Innovation and Social Media

Dollar Shave Club is an innovative brand that is beginning to disrupt the $13 billion men’s shaving market. Dollar Shave Club was founded by Mark Levine and Michael Dubin in 2011. Levine and Dubin were frustrated by the high price of razors.

The company sells razors in low-cost monthly subscription packages: $2 for five twin blade razors, $6 for four-blades, and $9 for three six-blades. Dollar Shave Club designs, manufactures and ships the razors themselves. Dollar Shave Club products sell for roughly half the price of big name competitors like Gillette .

Dollar Shave Club taps into an undercurrent of inauthenticity in men’s razor advertising. Twenty years ago, men were told that three blades were the minimum required for a close comfortable shave. Then it was 4. Then it was five. Then it was six. Now it is seven. Where will it stop?

The Wall Street Journal reported that Gillette’s own research shows that men are frustrated by the high cost of razors. Consumers shell out around $12.00 for the company’s Fusion ProGlide Power razor and then close to $20 for four replacement cartridges. Most men will use at least four cartridges in a month. Compare those figures with Dollar Shave Club’s and this is one case where the big guys can’t price the little guys out of the market.

Dollar Shave Club was launched with a clever and economical You Tube ad in March of 2012. Founder Michael Dubin who had previously worked in digital media and studied improv comedy in New York cast himself as the lead in a funny video explaining why his company’s razor blades aren’t just great they’re —-ing great. Make sure you watch the video its hilarious. The video has been viewed over 10 million times on You Tube. Who needs network television. This is a fun brand with a great sense of humor.

Dollar Shave Club’s success wouldn’t have been possible ten-years ago before social media went mainstream. It’s now possible for small brands to take on big brands and carve out a profitable niche. Small brands who think differently, are authentic, innovative and express passion have a chance to grow beyond startup status.

3 responses to Dollar Shave Club Has Built a Brand through Innovation and Social Media

I first started hearing of DSC on my favorite radio show (Dan Patrick) and podcast (Adam Carolla). I was curious, but really got hooked when I first saw the video. It was hilarious, yet charming with how simple it was. Unfortunately a co-worker tried their lowest-level razors and said they were terrible. But, I love supporting the underdog (compared to the giant competitors, DSC is one), so I decided to try the middle-range razor. I really wanted to like their company and product; however, I wasn’t very impressed by the product. I’m curious of the high-end razor they offer, but I can say for sure the mid-range one is worse than the Gillette’s I’m used to. Plus, the word is out that you can buy the same razors as DSC from Dorco for less money. It will be interesting to see if DSC can stay relevant.

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[…] it until then. The video was more than a piece of good content—it established the company as a scrappy upstart confronting a Goliath. Purchasing razors through DSC was not just economical, it was the smart way to give the finger […]